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address 

IV  OF  HIS  EXCELLENCY 

ALFRED  SZE 

MINISTER  FROM  CHINA 
TO  THE  UNITED  STATES 


GIVEN  BEFORE  THE 

CHINA  SOCIETY  OF  AMERICA 

AT  A DINNER  IN  THE 
WALDORF-ASTORIA  HOTEL 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


SEPTEMBER 
NINETEEN  TWENTY-ONE 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/addressofalfredsOOszes 


THE  ADDRESS 


IT  is  with  great  pleasure  and  appreciation  that  I appear  before  you 
this  evening  as  the  official  representative  of  the  Republic  of  China. 
Certainly  it  is  a happy  augury  for  the  future,  when  an  organization 
in  America  can  attract  together  so  many  leaders  from  the  various 
walks  of  life  who  are  interested  in  the  welfare  and  future  of  another 
country— ~my  country — the  Republic  of  China.  It  was  Mr.  John  Hay, 
the  author  of  the  Open  Door  Policy  who  made  the  statement  that 

“Whoever  understands  China  socially,  politically,  economically,  and 
religiously,  holds  the  key  to  the  world’s  politics  for  the  next  five 
centuries.” 

A few  days  ago  I was  reading  an  article  in  one  of  your  leading 
magazines  about  the  coming  conference  in  Washington  and  in  this 
article  I found  the  following  paragraph; 

“The  American  Government  wishes  to  define  the  Open  Door  in 
such  terms  that  foreigners  in  China  will  get  the  minimum  of  exclusive 
monopolistic  privileges  and  the  maximum  of  open  trade  chances.  That 
definition  suits  our  American  needs  in  China  and  by  the  mercy  of 
• God  it  also  suits  the  needs  of  China.” 

Now  that  was  a rathpr  cynical  way  of  stating  the  fact  that  the  doctrine 
of  the  Open  Door  means  the  same  to  a citizen  of  the  Republic  of  China 
as  it  means  to  a citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America.  I sincerely 
believe  that  when  we  search  into  the  innermost  thoughts  of  our  two 
peoples  the  inspiration  of  the  Open  Door  means  the  same  thing  on  both 
sides  of  the  Pacific.  When  we  speak  of  the  Open  Door  we  speak  the 
same  language.  Therefore  China  is  fighting  for  the  same  principle  that 
America  is  fighting  for — The  Open  Door  of  Equal  Opportunity ! I believe 


that  the  word  “Shantung”  stirs  the  same  emotions  in  the  hearts  of  our 
two  peoples.  The  statement  has  been  made  that  America’s  sole  interest 
in  China  is  due  to  the  desire  for  trade.  We  in  China  know  differently. 
Our  people  know  that  America  has  put  back  into  China  many  times 
the  amount  of  treasure  that  the  American  merchants  have  taken  out 
in  profits. 

And  while  I am  on  the  subject  of  trade  I might  mention  to  you  that 
last  week  I talked  to  an  American  merchant  who  had  travelled  all  over 
the  world.  He  told  me  that  China  offered  the  best  field,  in  fact,  practically 
the  only  free  undeveloped  field,  left  where  the  American  merchant  had 
a chance  to  dispose  of  his  products.  Since  this  is  a practical  era,  let 
us  be  practical  and  recognize  the  essentials,  the  industrial  essentials  that 
are  necessary  for  strength  to  maintain  our  principles. 

I have  been  reading  a new  book  dealing  with  the  Far  East  that 
was  compiled  by  Mr.  MacMurray,  the  chief  of  the  Division  of  Far 
Eastern  Affairs  of  the  State  Department  at  Washington.  The  preface 
to  this  book  was  written  by  Dr.  James  Brown  Scott,  the  director  of 
the  Division  of  International  Law  of  the  Carnegie  Endowment  for 
International  Peace.  Here  I found  these  statements: 

“It  is  a source  of  pleasure  to  the  good  people  of  these  United 
States,  that  the  policy  of  their  government  has  invariably  been  one 
of  sympathetic  interest  in  and  toward  the  Far  East  and  that  it  has 
never  sought  to  make  of  the  needs  and  distress  of  the  peoples  of 
Japan  and  China,  a source  of  profit.” 

Dr.  Scott  then  tells  the  story  of  the  return  of  the  Boxer  Indemnity  surplus 
to  China  as  an  example  of  American  altruism  and  points  to  the  signi- 
ficant fact  that  there  were  no  strings  attached  to  the  return  of  this 
large  sum  of  money,  and  he  prints  a letter  from  Prince  Ch’ing  of  the 
Chinese  Foreign  Office,  dated  June  14,  1908,  proving  that  China’s 


decision  to  use  the  Indemnity  money  in  educating  her  youth  in  this 
country  was  entirely  voluntary.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  tell  you, 
ladies  and  gentlemen  who  are  familiar  with  the  Orient,  any  more  about 
the  Chinese  Bojcer  Indemnity,  but  there  is  another  incident  in  America’s 
contact  with  another  country  of  the  Orient  that  is  just  as  significant 
though  not  so  well  known.  I refer  to  an  indemnity  which  America, 
in  association  with  France,  Great  Britain  and  Holland,  exacted  from 
Japan  in  1863  on  account  of  the  expenses  incurred  in  opening  up  the 
Straits  of  Shimonoseki.  Dr.  Scott  quotes  from  an  account  of  this 
incident  as  follows: 

“The  sum  paid  the  United  States  remained  in  the  treasury 
unused  for  twenty  years.  The  public  conscience  was  troubled  as  to 
the  justness  of  the  exaction,  and  in  1883  by  an  act  of  Congress  the 
amount  was  returned  to  Japan,  and  accepted  by  that  government  ‘as 
a strong  manifestation  of  that  spirit  of  justice  and  equity  which  has 
always  animated  the  United  States  in  its  relations  with  Japan.’  ” 

Dr.  Scott  closes  his  introduction  to  Mr.  MacMurray’s  excellent  book  with 
the  following  significant  words  to  which  I,  as  Chinese  Minister,  most 
heartily  subscribe; 

“ the  United  States  has  invariably  framed  its  policy  in  such  a 

way  that  it  should  be  just  to  China — to  speak  specifically  of  this  one 
country — ^that  the  policy  of  China  should  be  just  to  the  United  States, 
and  that  the  door  of  opportunity  should  be  open  to  the  United  States 
and  to  all  other  countries  upon  a footing  of  equality.” 

Chinese  friendship  for  America  is  proverbial  and  is  based  upon  many 
things,  entirely  too  many  to  enumerate  in  this  brief  discussion.  The 
old  treaty  between  China  and  the  United  States  of  1858  was  an  example 
of  your  altruism  and  a novel  departure  from  the  ordinary  agreements 
which  China  made  or  was  forced  to  make  with  other  nations.  Article  1 
of  the  Treaty  of  1858  reads: 


“There  shall  be,  as  there  has  always  been,  peace  and  friendship 
between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  Ta  Tsing  Empire  and 
their  people  respectively.  They  shall  not  insult  or  oppress  each  other 
for  any  trifling  cause  so  as  to  produce  an  estrangement  between 
them,  and  if  any  other  nation  should  act  unjustly  or  oppressively, 
the  United  States  will  exert  their  good  offices,  on  being  informed  of 
the  case,  to  bring  about  an  amicable  arrangement  of  the  question, 
thus  showing  their  friendly  feelings.” 

Now  this  treaty  with  China  was  not  an  isolated  incident.  Just  about 
a month  later,  or  on  July  29,  1858,  the  United  States  negotiated  a treaty 
with  the  Japanese  Government  and  this  treaty  contains  a similar  clause. 
These  old  treaties  show  clearly  the  position  of  the  United.  States  with 
respect  to  China  and  Japan  as  a common  friend  of  both  countries.  It 
stands  always  ready  to  see  that  justice  is  done  to  both,  and  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  when  appealed  to. 

I need  not  go  into  details  regarding  the  American  missionary  and 
educational  endeavor  in  China  which  has  extended  over  so  long  a period 
and  which  has  reached  its  culmination  in  the  great  Rockefeller  medical 
institution  in  Peking  which  has  just  been  dedicated.  There  are  very 
few  persons,  indeed,  among  the  millions  who  have  not  been  touched, 
directly  or  indirectly,  by  this  glorious  uplifting  touch  of  American 
altruism. 

We  are  at  the  threshold  of  a great  event,  an  event  of  untold  signi- 
flcance  to  the  future  of  our  two  countries — in  fact  of  the  whole  world — 
the  Conference  on  the  Limitation  of  Armament  and  Pacific-Far  Eastern 
Problems.  China  has  accepted  the  invitation  to  the  Conference  whole- 
heartedly and  without  reservation,  believing  implicitly  in  the  good  faith 
and  altruistic  intentions  of  America  in  seeking  to  bring  about  through 
peaceful  discussion  a settlement  of  outstanding  questions,  which,  if  not 
settled  amicably,  are  likely  to  throw  the  world  again  into  the  gloom  of 
armed  conflict. 


China  wants  nothing  from  this  Conference  except  the  right  to  pre- 
serve its  national  existence  and  the  uninterrupted  pursuit  of  happiness 
in  fellowship  with  the  other  nations  of  the  world!  She  enters  the 
Conference  with  “amity  to  all  and  enmity  to  none.” 

I am  told  that  there  have  been  some  whisperings  as  to  the  motives 
behind  this  call  for  the  Conference.  What  is  America-  trying  to  do?  is 
the  question.  China  does  not  join  in  this  misgiving,  because  China’s 
experience  gained  by  actual  dealings  with  America  has  been  confirmed 
by  America’s  dealings  with  other  countries  and  peoples. 

I might  refer  to  your  work  in  Cuba.  You  gave  your  wealth  and 
blood  to  liberate  the  Cuban  people  from  autocratic  foreign  control  and 
you  spent  more  of  your  millions  in  giving  the  people  of  Cuba  a sanitary 
bill  of  health  and  a modern  form  of  government;  then  you  got  out  and 
didn’t  even  present  the  Cuban  people  with  a bill  covering  the  cost  of 
the  war  or  the  sanitary  system.  Furthermore,  you  constantly  stand 
ready  to  lend  further  assistance.  You  didn’t  quibble  over  the  terms  of 
getting  out — you  got  out  and  the  lesson  has  not  been  lost  on  the  world. 
Your  example  in  Cuba  will  always  be  a living  force  in  the  world. 

It  will  require  several  years  before  there  is  a real  understanding  of 
the  changes  wrought  in  Asia  by  the  European  War.  There  were,  of 
course,  material  changes  in  transfers  of  territory  and  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  peoples  from  one  authority  to  another  with  no  regard  for  the 
people  concerned,  that  will  have  to  be  rectified  before  we  can  have  any- 
thing remotely  approaching  peace.  But  the  real  significant  changes 
wrought  by  the  world  war  in  Asia  are  not  apparent  on  the  surface.  The 
changes  that  I refer  to  are  in  the  minds  of  the  people  and  as  such  are 
the  most  significant  of  all.  The  people  of  Asia,  and  I refer  especially 
to  my  own  people  are  being  stirred  by  new  thoughts  and  ideas  and 
ambitions.  In  many  respects  they  are  casting  about  in  their  minds  to 
find  out  just  what  Western  civilization  means.  You  would  be  astonished 


to  know  the  modern  books  that  are  being  read  and  discussed  by  the 
thousands  of  students  in  my  country.  In  certain  respects  these  young 
men  and  women  are  standing  intellectually  at  a turn  in  the  road  of 
learning  and  advancement.  Which  way  shall  we  turn?  Shall  our  future 
development  take  the  road  that  leads  to  militaristic  power  as  the  only 
solution  of  our  troubles;  or  shall  we  follow  the  smoother  road  that 
leads  to  peaceful  democratic  development?  We  have  two  teachers  who 
are  holding  out  the  two  doctrines  and  beckoning  for  us  to  follow. 

There  are  two  ways  of  securing  supplies  from  China;  a good  way 
and  a bad  way,  a way  that  will  develop  China  and  a way  that  will 
prevent  development  indefinitely.  From  the  date  of  your  first  treaty 
with  China  and  even  before  that  when  the  first  contact  of  our  two 
peoples  began,  your  policy  toward  Asia  has  been  one  of  helpfulness. 
This  is  just  as  true  with  Japan,  as  it  has  been  with  China,  Siberia 
or  the  Philippines. 

I believe  that  you  have  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  Asia  as  it 
is  possessed  by  no  other  outside  nation.  Most  surely  you  have  the  good 
will  of  our  Chinese  millions  to  an  almost  unbounded  extent.  The  good 
will  of  four  hundred  millions  of  people  is  a wonderful  asset  in  this 
troubled  world  and  on  our  side  we  consider  the  good  will  of  your 
hundred  and  ten  millions  as  our  most  important  haven  in  a stormy  sea. 
America  is  in  a wonderful  position  to  bring  about  better  conditions  in 
the  Pacific.  China  wants  and  needs  America’s  help  but  she  wants  it  to 
be  American  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name  and  not  something  hard  and 
sinister  underneath  and  merely  camouflaged  as  America  on  top. 

China  stands  ready  to  meet  America  more  than  half  way  in  a 
solution  of  many  of  the  problems  of  the  Pacific  and  in  a correct  solution 
of  these  problems.  No  other  nations  or  peoples  need  have  any  misgivings, 
for  the  Open  Door  means  equality  of  opportunity  for  all. 


